


I'll be Home This December

by orphan_account



Category: Big Bang (Band)
Genre: GRi - Freeform, M/M, Nyongtory, Romance, but it has a happy ending, i can't guarantee the angst, it's supposed to be published for Seungri's birthday, nyongtori
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-03 23:46:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10977909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Everyone in our life always starts out as a stranger first before we give them names—family, friends, lover...Fate has brought Seungri to the point where he meets a charming stranger on his 25th birthday named Jiyong. The sparks begin to flicker in each passing second they spend together, and Seungri starts to care less about the birthday routine he always shares with his father every year, especially when Jiyong's the one he shares his birthday pancake with.Things get warmer as the night comes. The fire eventually burns the brightest. But before words turn into actions, there's something yearning to be spoken... a truth about how their meeting has never been meant to be an accidental one at all... about how they've promised to each other that they'll be home together every December.





	I'll be Home This December

**Author's Note:**

> I initially prepared it for Seungri's birthday last December but the life happened (coughthesiscough). And once I was finally free, I decided that this one needed to be rewritten. Hence, another multi-chapter story while I resume the rewriting process. Enjoy!  
> Forever beta-ed and edited; apologies for mistakes and errors.

 

 _ **The yawn made its way** _ to escape from his mouth as Seungri shifted his body, turning slowly until his bare back met the softness of his sheet. His forefinger scratched the itchy spot right behind his ear with his eyes were still closed—the warm darkness expanding beneath the closed lids was too comfortable. The other hand dug the tip of fingers carelessly into the skin, rubbing the expanse of naked middle drowsily.

Groaning rumbled from the bottom of Seungri’s throat while the guy stretched out his arms and legs, turning sideways once again until he lay on his side. “Good morning…” he mumbled and the silence surrounding him amplified his drowsy, raw voice, bouncing across the white-painted room.

When he opened his eyes, he saw nothing. Nobody.

The sneering that followed after was as dry as his ‘good morning’. His half-asleep head slowly regained the consciousness as his sleepy eyes were still pinned at the empty spot next to him in the bed. _Of course_ , the little voice inside his head reminded him. _There’s nobody there, Seungri. What did you expect?_

Curling up, he slipped his arms between his bent knees, still jeering.

_Happy birthday, Lee Seungri…_

It was his 25th anniversary and the first thing he did in the morning was reminding himself that he always woke up alone.

 

*

 

“Fuck… Where the hell is it?” Seungri was staring at his bed while tousling his hair, yet nothing but a jumble of mess his eyes were seeing. “I swear I placed it on my nightstand before I slept…” the guy mumbled to himself, bending his back and laying on his stomach for the nth time. However, his phone was still nowhere to be found.

At last, Seungri completely gave up so he merely let the white sheepskin rug laying underneath comfort him. His groan, full of frustration, was muffled by the softness of the surface—his hand reached for his naked back, rubbing the itch.

A moment later, a loud sound coming from his living room seeped into his silent bedroom. Seungri remained unmoved for the next few seconds later, counting in his head. _One, two… five… nine…_ —once the noise stopped, Seungry immediately knew that it was 9:00 A.M., as per what the old clock his father gifted him when he moved into his current apartment told him.

 _I should get ready…_ Another groaning voice escaped from his mouth once he straightened his back, noticing that the soreness in his hips still lingered. He grunted and yawned, lazily dragging his legs towards his bathroom.

His reflection on the mirror was what Seungri quickly noticed when he stood in front of his bathroom vanity—his black hair was a total mess, his eyes were puffy, the dark circle around his eyes was probably as dark as Darth Sidious’ soul, and his five o’clock shadow still never looked as hot as he’d like to be. When he was done washing his face and raised his gaze, his eyes soon spotted a dark spot on his neck.

Seungri blinked once.

And twice.

The mirror surface felt so cold against his skin when he leaned himself even closer to inspect the reflection, tilting his head slightly upwards to see more of his neck. “Fuck,” he hissed, confirming that the dark purple spot on the side of his neck was nothing but a _love bite_. ”But wh—” A train of _what, how, who_ , and _when_ smashed into his head in a high speed.

One thing for sure, he remembered that he went to bed _alone_ and completely _sober_ the previous night. After all, the hangover would be the least thing he expected when he had to meet his father for lunch and sharing a birthday pancake the next day—a routine he and his family had been having since he was a little kid. Yet, there was only one logical thing that could answer the dark purple-colored mystery marking his pale skin right there.

Suddenly, Seungri’s temple was throbbing from a mysterious ache. Entering the shower, he wished that a little more scrubbing and soap would erase the mark (but the little voice inside his head told him how silly of him to hope for something obviously impossible and Seungri suddenly felt embarrassed for himself).

 

*

 

The cold, dry gust blew on Seungri’s face when he walked out from his taxi, but he felt grateful for the weather since it made a good excuse to carry his long navy blue coat and—more importantly—wear his black knitted muffler around his neck. Right after he closed the door, the taxi’s machine hummed and soon it rejoined the slow traffic. Seungri watched the car with nothing particular inside his head; it was merely a habit he couldn’t even recall since when it began to develop. Only when the same cold puff of air touched his skin once again, he threw his stare and whirled around.

Seungri fixed his muffler with two purposes in mind: keeping his throat warm and preventing Youngbae, his best friend, from seeing the hickey—the latter, however, was likely to be his first priority. His steps were taking him closer to a place he was always familiar with; its nearly-all-glass façade revealed the concrete interior and people inside, both the employees and customers alike. “ _Le Lapin Blanc_ ” was written on a large sign hung right above the door.

A loud, friendly voice coming from behind the counter greeted him, along with the familiar smell of roasted coffee that filled up the space. “Welcome to _Le Lapin Blanc_ , Mr. Lee!”

The said man turned his gaze to the direction the greeting came from and saw a guy with a wide, bright smile on his face—a smile so wide until his eyes looked almost completely disappeared. His brown hair was parted on the side and pulled away neatly from his face. And just like the other employees of the coffee shop, he was wearing the same black and white attire with blue apron.

“Hello, uhh…” Seungri approached the counter, his eyes were scanning the name written on the black tag, “…Jiwon. Are you a new barista here? I’ve nev—”

“Lee Seungri!” The cheery greeting came along with a slap on his back. And soon, it was followed by a muscular arm, wrapping around his neck firmly, and a hand messing his black strands playfully. A jolly laughter echoed amidst the voices of people who were waiting for their coffee to be ready. “Happy birthday, man! Look at yourself: one year older. I think your hair’s turning gray soon! Hey, Jiwon. It’s your boss’ birthday today; didn’t I tell you that before? Go get him a cup of caramel macchiato!”

“Dong…” Seungri’s teeth gritted and a low groan rumbled from his throat, “…Youngbae. Let go of me!” And with that, he forcefully pushed his best friend, who co-owned the coffee shop with him, away. His hands quickly fixed the knitted scarf as the guy squinting his eyes, hissing in annoyance. “And since you know it’s my birthday—”

“You’re going to spend the rest of the day with him. Right. I know. And you lost your—”

The new barista Seungri still couldn’t recall of seeing, Jiwon, intruded Youngbae with a low cough seeping out from his pursed, smiling lips. The boy’s small eyes were directed to Youngbae, and Seungri could subtly sense the unspoken message exchanged between their eyes.

Youngbae sniffled with his forefinger rubbing the tip of his nose. His light brown strands fell down, forming a curtain scattered across his forehead and hiding his eyes as the man lowered his gaze and mumbled, “Wait a moment, okay? I’ll prepare your cup before you leave.” When their eyes met, Youngbae gave him a small smile and a soft stare. His had landed two gentle taps on Seungri’s shoulder before the man turned around and went behind the counter.

Seungri tilted his head slightly to his side, still raising his brows. _Well_ , he shrugs, _it’s not like everyone turns 25 every day, though…_ His eyes observed the coffee shop; it was quite crowded with customers ordering for a takeout, but it was still nothing since the crowd would reach its peak right after the office hour until the shop closed. Plus, it was Friday so he was damn sure the place would be packed with even more people in the next few hours.

He saw Jongdae, Daesung, and Seunghyun busy preparing the drinks and foods for the customers behind the counter—they greeted him briefly with a nod while Jongdae managed to wave at him. However, this new kid named Jiwon was still standing and flashing his bunny smile, obviously directed to him. “Anything you’d like to order too, Mr. Lee?”

“I guess… no. And shouldn’t you help the others? They look so busy now…”

The wide grin emerging on Jiwon’s face was an apologetic one, creating creases hanging on the outer corners of his eyes. “Youngbae told me that I should stick with you everyt—while you were here.”

“Hmm…” Seungri nodded briefly and slipped his hands inside the front pocket of his coat. “So when did you start working here? I’m sure I didn’t see you yesterday and we didn’t have any vacant position.”

“Oh, about that… Well, there’s this guy named Minho who called in sick so Youngbae asked me to fill in for him. I live next to his door and used to work in a coffee shop too, so you don’t need to worry about it at all, Sir!”

Seungri nodded once again, saying nothing. His right foot was tapping the floor, following the music played through the speaker. The song was unfamiliar, but he knew the female singer who sang it: Lana Del Rey. Needless to say, it had to be Youngbae’s selection.

The sweet scent mixed with his all-time favorite aroma of coffee greeted Seungri, along with Youngbae’s joyful chirp as the guy slid him a paper coffee cup atop the counter. “A cup of caramel macchiato for the birthday boy is ready!”

“Thanks,” the smell and the sight of his best friend smiling at him as sincerely as ever tugged the corner of Seungri’s lips upwards. The warmth spread to his cheeks once his mouth formed a smile. “And—h-hey, Dong Youngbae! What are you d—”

But Youngbae didn’t release him from his hug, making Seungri felt just as if he was being squeezed tightly under the guy’s small yet toned arms. He looked around and caught glimpses of smile from people around them. His own hands were dangling awkwardly on his sides—they had been friends for too long until Seungri barely recalled the last time they showed a gesture of affection for each other, moreover something as intimate as a hug.

But it hadn’t ended yet once he surprised himself a few seconds later, raising his hands to return the hug… and caressing Youngbae’s back gently. Seungri could feel his mouth opened for a few times, but there was nothing coming out from it. Completely baffled by the situation, he silently continued stroking his best friend rather awkwardly with a gigantic question mark poking from the inside of his head. Seungri’s eyes caught the small smile Jongdae gave him and a glance Seunghyun did before the tall guy talked to the customer he was serving. His stare met Daesung’s, but the copper-haired guy quickly threw his gaze away.

“Hey,” Youngbae mumbled quietly, “Seungri.”

“What?”

“It’s embarrassing, isn’t it?”

“Very.”

“Since we have a mutual feeling about this, why don’t we stop hugging?”

“Definitely.”

Soon enough, a distance grew between them, leaving the two men completely flustered—at least that was what Seungri was thinking and he was completely sure that his best friend also shared the same feeling as he noticed the flash of pinkish blush on Youngbae’s face. A silence encircled them, disrupted only by the cracking sound Youngbae’s knuckles made, and none of them exchanged a stare. Awkwardly, Seungri reached for the cup and inhaled the smell before placing it back to the counter for the coffee was still too hot for him to sip.

When their eyes finally met, there was a glint reflected on Youngbae’s soft gaze.

“Youngbae,” the black-haired guy cleared his throat, “thanks for the coffee.”

“Are people still staring at us?”

“I guess…” Seungri glanced around quickly and gulped, “…they are. Especially this new kid Jiwon. He’s been staring at me since forever, I think…”

“I will fire him once you leave.”

And Seungri couldn’t handle it once the burst of small laughter pushed its way to escape from his mouth. Soon enough, he had turned into a fit of giggle, with Youngbae joining him afterwards. There was nothing funny there; their remarks were as lame as ever, but they obviously loved it.

“Just go. Now. I really mean it. Don’t make him wait for you for too long, Seungri,” Youngbae slapped his arm, still chuckling. “I’ll send a cake later; it’s our gift for you. Be sure to eat it, okay?”

“Fuck…” Seungri hissed, “This hurts, man! And speaking of my dad, can you text him? My phone suddenly decided to go to Narnia and I don’t want to make him worry because he can’t reach me. Tell him that I’ll be in the restaurant in minutes.”

“Eh… sure. I’ll text him. Don’t worry. Go away now. Shoo! And drink your coffee before it gets cold, moron!”

Not so long after, Seungri walked out from _Le Lapin Blanc_ while sipping the drink, letting the warm liquid filling him up with a sense of familiarity and comfort. The restaurant he was going to, the one where he would be meeting his father for lunch, was only three blocks away.

Seungri was crossing the road in a hurry once the pedestrian light turned green when he, out of nothing, recalled something: a ring encircling Youngbae’s fourth finger of the left hand.

The realization stroke him as sudden as getting a train hitting him, making him could only cuss. There was a hope that he hadn’t lost his phone so he could force his best friend to tell everything. _Well, there’s still tomorrow and Dong Youngbae definitely has to tell me everything…_ He grinned, although there was a slight annoyance growing in him, knowing that his best friend was hiding something as important as an engagement from him.

Seungri hurriedly made a left turn once he reached the end of the block, and the next thing he knew was the cup in his hand nearly emptied for its content had soaked his clothes—the obvious reason why he felt the damp and heat on his skin, though it was hidden underneath the layers of sweatshirt and shirt he was wearing. A heavy sigh, followed by a hiss full of irritation, slipped from his mouth.

When Seungri raised his gaze, he was met by a pair of dark brown eyes, rounded in surprise. Nothing got in the way for the black hair was neatly pulled away from the face. Seungri’s stare traveled to the small nose and a pair of lips, slightly parted, before returning to the dark brown orbs once again. There was something strange sparked inside him the moment his gaze landed on the other pair of eyes. And no, it was not anything as cliché as love at first sight, although Seungri couldn’t deny that there was an appeal pulling him towards the other eyes. He blinked, and the same look was still there.

He couldn’t keep his stare off of the stranger’s gaze… _almost_.

“I’m sorry!” And the stranger, indeed, felt sorry… or at least the look in his dark eyes was telling Seungri so. “I’m really, really sorry!”

The eyes were not the only one, though.

It was not the flushed cheeks Seungri was seeing, blossoming on the tanned skin, nor was it the split moment when their skins came into contact as the stranger quickly grabbed the paper cup from his hand, that made Seungri suddenly unable to spit the angry curses his brain had prepared earlier. Rather, it was the voice coming out from the pair of lips, still muttering a series of ‘I’m sorry’, that somehow made him stand frozen.

“I think you’re soaked.”

Each words were ringing like bell chimes.

“You should change your shirt; the coffee’s staining it!”

Or maybe the comforting sound a mother made when lulling her child to sleep.

“Come with me; we’ll find a new shirt for you.”

The voice might or might not be familiar to him, and strangely it had made his body react differently in one way or another… especially some place hidden inside the left side of his chest.

His heart forgot a beat.

 

* * *

 

 

 


End file.
